Milton’s 302 Bicycles to close
After nearly a decade in business, 302 Bicycles in Milton is set to close Saturday, Dec. 9.
Owner John Lehne said he is closing the shop because he is battling adenocarcinoma, a form of gastrointestinal cancer. In addition, he said, the shop’s lease is up at the end of the year, and he did not want to have the extra stress of going through a renewal or looking for a new home.
Lehne said he found out the news in April, when he ended up in an emergency room after his sodium tanked and doctors found fluid in his abdomen. After the fluid was drained, tests found cancer cells. Other tests found adenocarcinoma in his stomach and the lining of his abdominal wall, he said.
Lehne said of his prognosis, “It’s not great. The only advantage is that I’m young and I’m healthy other than the cancer.”
He said the survival rate varies, but that 5% of those with it live for five years or longer.
“It’s treatable but not curable right now,” Lehne said. “I’m young, I should be in that 5% at least, if not getting 10 to 20 years. We’re looking up on that aspect of it. But you never know. I’d rather have the free time and enjoy what I can while I can, and hopefully it doesn’t get worse.”
Lehne has been taking chemotherapy treatments every two weeks at Tunnell Cancer Center and has done nine rounds so far, with three to go. From there, he said, it will likely move into treatments via pill or some kind of immunotherapy.
Of the support he’s received, Lehne said, “The community has been awesome.”
Earlier, 302 Bicycles did a bracelet fundraiser that helped with copays, the Killens Pond Disc Golf Club also hosted a fundraiser, and people who have frequented the shop have offered condolences and support.
The business has been pretty supportive of the community in Milton, and Lehne said that will continue right to the end, as he plans to do his usual fundraiser for the annual Holly Festival, which will occur the same day the store will close.
The shop grew out of 302 Fitness, a personal training business Lehne started in 2013; 302 Fitness closed in 2020 after its operation was severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2014, Lehne had started 302 Bicycles as a side business of 302 Fitness. The store was originally 50 square feet and mostly did bicycle repairs. Over time, the store grew to 2,000 square feet and had bicycle inventory, accessories and repair. Later, the business got into selling supplies for disc golf, in which participants navigate a course and try to put a flying disc, like a Frisbee, into a basket.
Lehne said where the pandemic might have hurt 302 Fitness, it was good for 302 Bicycles.
“All you could do is bike,” he said.
As the store closes, Lehne said most items will be discounted between 10% and 25%. He said the hope is that he could turn over the space to another bike shop, but that is still to be determined. Lehne said he plans to bring some of the stock to another bike shop he owns in Chincoteague, Va.
Lehne said he views the future as a mix of excitement but also fear of what may come of his diagnosis. He is sad the shop is closing, mostly because he won’t be around to serve people in communities like Milford, Georgetown and Millsboro, who will now have to drive to the beaches to get their bikes repaired.
“I never thought I’d be closing until I got diagnosed,” he said. “I figured this would be the last job I ever had.”
